Salami vs. Summer sausage. What Is Their Actual Difference?

Taste

The main difference that will affect the taste is the fermentation process. 

Salami is a fermented and then dried-up sausage, whereas summer sausage is usually cooked at lower temperatures and dried up. 

This fermentation process will give salami a stronger and more robust flavor than summer sausage. 

Salami and summer sausage are usually prepared in common recipes by mixing pork and beef. 

Overall, salami has a more robust and stronger flavor than summer sausage. Summer sausage, in comparison, has a milder, savory-sweet taste. 

Usage

These can be used in various forms; they can be used as they are with crackers, and they can be used in sandwiches. The most common usage of salami is wine and cheese and as a topping on a diavola pizza, which gives it an extra spicy taste. 

Preparation methods

As mentioned above, both use a pork and beef mixture. However, summer sausage can contain game meat such as venison meat. 

Salami undergoes an additional fermentation process before it dries up. In comparison, summer sausage doesn’t have this fermentation step during its preparation. 

Calories

Summer sausage contains slightly higher amounts of calories.

Protein

Salami is richer in proteins compared to summer sausage. Salami contains nearly 22g of protein, and summer sausage contains about 17g of protein. 

Carbs

Their carb content is negligible. 

Fats

Both are considered high-fat sausages. In comparison summer sausage is higher in fats compared to salami. 

It is important to mention that summer sausage is higher in saturated fats than salami. 

Minerals

Salami is mineral dense and richer in minerals compared to summer sausage. However, there is a concern which is the amount of sodium. 

Salami is richer in selenium, manganese, copper, zinc, and phosphorus. In comparison, summer sausage is richer in iron. 

Salami is higher in sodium compared to summer sausage. Noting that eating 100g of salami is nearly the amount of the daily sodium allowance. 

Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Summer sausage

3

Salami

6

Contains more CalciumCalcium	+440%
Contains more IronIron	+44.9%
Contains less SodiumSodium	-14.8%

Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium	+46.2%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium	+53.4%
Contains more CopperCopper	+410%
Contains more ZincZinc	+30.2%
Contains more ManganeseManganese	+2956.3%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium	+317.3%

~equal in Phosphorus ~191mg

Vitamins 

Salami has a richer and dense vitamin profile compared to summer sausage. Salami is richer in all B complex vitamins except vitamin B12 which is higher in summer sausage. Summer sausage is also richer in vitamins C and D. 

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.

Summer sausage

3

Salami

9

Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A	+∞%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12	+13.8%
Contains more FolateFolate	+133.3%

Contains more Vitamin DVitamin D	+233.3%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1	+47.4%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2	+123.1%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3	+108.7%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5	+58%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6	+253.1%

~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg

Impact on the gut health

Since salami is fermented, it contains healthy probiotics for our gastrointestinal system. However, we should mention that they contain nitrites, nitrates, and high sodium. However, these probiotics make it to our gastrointestinal system and give us benefits. 

Also, we should ensure that a better option for salami is one with the natural casing of the meat and not synthetic ones (1)(2). 

However, salami contains nitrosamines that cause negative health impacts, such as increased risks of certain cancers, such as colorectal cancer (3). 

The same nitrogen compounds are present in summer sausage aswell and are associated with negative health impacts. However, since summer sausage is not fermented, it does not contain probiotics (4).

Cardiovascular health

Summer sausage contains higher amounts of fats and saturated fats, which are associated with increased risks of cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis (5). 

In comparison, salami is higher in sodium which increases the risks of hypertension and overall is associated with increased risks of cardiovascular mortality (6). 

Miscellaneous

Salami is more nutrient dense regarding proteins, minerals, and vitamins. It can be considered as a better alternative because of all these attributes.